This invention relates to absorbent inserts, and particularly to absorbent inserts for use with diapers and the like.
Disposable diapers have become highly popular in the past several decades due to their superior ability to absorb and retain fluid. It is estimated that disposable diapers currently on the market are able to retain up to five times the amount of water as cloth or cotton diapers. However, there is a growing environmental concern that most disposable diapers are not fully biodegradable and/or recyclable.
A biodegradable material is one which, when disposed of, will not adversely pollute the land, water or air. Typically, the material will break down into constituents compatible with the environment. Many organic polymers are biodegradable; wood fiber products are both biodegradable and recyclable. Sewage treatment plants process biodegradable waste material by breaking them down and discharging the environmentally clean results into the environment. Non-biodegradable materials are incinerated into the air or disposed of at sea or in landfills, where they add to the environment problems. However, not all waste is directed to sewage treatment plants; some is disposed of directly at sea or into landfills, and other waste is recycled.
In the case of disposable diapers, it is common to employ a biodegradable absorbent material sandwiched between a liquid absorbent layer and a liquid impervious layer. Typically, flaps are employed which may secure parts of the diaper together for fastening to the body of the wearer. The flaps and liquid impervious layers are not biodegradable and will not disintegrate in hot or agitated water. Consequently, disposing of disposable diapers to the sewage system creates the risk of clogging drain pipes of the household. Therefore, users of disposable diapers seldom dispose of them to the sewage system, but instead dispose of them to the trash where they are added to the sea and landfill problems. Hence, the whole of the disposable diaper ends up in the solid waste disposal stream.
With growing environmental concerns, there has, in recent years, been a return to the use of cloth or cotton diapers. Cloth diapers may be laundered and reused and do not adversely impact the environment. As a result of the return to cloth diapers, there has been a resurgence of the diaper service industry which collects, launders and returns cloth diapers. However, as noted above, cloth diapers are only about one fifth as absorbent as disposable diapers. Consequently, there remains a substantial popularity for disposable diapers, even though they are not as environmentally sound as cloth diapers.